There are 20 pages about Wild West

Photo by Nebraska Tourism
The unincorporated community of Lemoyne, near where Lonergan Creek flows into Lake McConaughy, had its all-time high population of 90 people back in 1960.
There were just a few souls less than that in the most recent census. The original community of Lemoyne was

Antiques Give Grain Bins New Life
Ashley burns
In the hills south of North Platte is evidence of what happens when an idea comes to life.
Grain Bin Antique Town is one of those small treasures you just about have to get lost to find. It is a collection of 16 octagonal, Depression-era

There’s even more optimism rolling about than the freight trains from the three railroad lines constantly moving through town. But the trail of Sidney has had many twists and turns, starting in the 1870s when the most feared desperados of the Wild West lurked here. The community’s jou

Kimball began as a railroad construction camp. Because of large herds of pronghorn in the area, the railroad called the new station Antelope, and the new village, Antelopeville. In 1885, the growing settlement was renamed for railroad executive Thomas Kimball. Kimball’s history is displayed

Photo by Joshua Hardin
If this were an 1870s travel guide, we’d advise you to go around Sidney. Outlaws, gamblers and other riffraff made this railroad town one of the toughest places in all of the American West. Stay on the train, lock the doors and you’ll be fine. Unless there&r

Old Settlers’ Days is the big event of the year for Lodgepole. A free barbecue, mud volleyball tournament, parade and street dance are just a few of the events that take place during the Labor Day weekend celebration.
Sullivan Hills is located just north of Lodgepole and features 640 acres

Travelers see grain elevators along I-80, but none with a paint job like the Farmers Elevator in Chappell. An American flag 52 feet by 100 feet is painted on its south side. The nine-hole Chappell Golf Course. Chappell Lake is just north of the interchange and offers fishing, native grasses, wildf

Heading west from Ogallala on I-80, you’ll come to Big Springs. Heading west from Ogallala on I-80, you’ll come to Big Springs. The first and largest robbery of a Union Pacific train happened here in 1877. Texas outlaw Sam Bass and five companions made off with $60,000 in gold and curren

Nebraska’s “Cowboy Capital”

Ogallala was the “Gomorrah of the cattle trail,” wrote Andy Adams, a trail driver who first saw the community in 1875. In the 1870s and 1880s, Ogallala was the end of the trail as cowboys drove herds of longhorns up from Texas to be shipped east on the Union Pacific Railroad. After sev

Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse began as a bar in downtown Paxton. Through the years, owner Ole Herstedt decorated it with more than 200 big game trophies. Great food and drink accompany the menagerie. (308) 239-4500.

Sutherland Reservoir offers swimming, camping, birdwatching and fishing. The area has good wildlife habitat, and bald eagles use it as a winter feeding area. Oregon Trail Golf Course is a nine-hole course on the north shore of the reservoir. (308) 386-4653. Oregon Trail Mobile Estate

Photo by Christopher Amundson
While approaching North Platte from Interstate 80, one of the first landmarks seen is Fort Cody Trading Post. When viewed from the outside it looks like a frontier log stockade complete with authentically dressed mannequins with toy rifles standing guard. I

When Fort Cottonwood was renamed Fort McPherson in 1866, its soldiers were already accustomed to fetching cold, great-tasting water from the well of John “Mac” McCullough. Soon, other travelers heard about the well and would stop. As a community formed, it was decided to name it

Photo by Christopher Amundson
On the eastern end of Wild West Country, Brady is home to several outdoor adventures. Jeffrey Canyon Reservoir is five miles south and one mile west of Brady. Potter’s Pasture in the beautiful hills south of Brady, consists of 1,300 acres of privately owned lan

Photo by Steve & Bobbi Olson
Stockades, Buffalo Bill Cody Memorabilia and Wild West Show!
While approaching North Platte from Interstate 80, one of the first landmarks seen is Fort Cody Trading Post. When viewed from the outside it looks like a frontier log stockade complete with aut

See How Pioneers Lived in Harrisburg
Turning north from Kimball, State Highway 71 will take you past the little village of Harrisburg.
The Banner County Museum is an 11-building complex that includes a 19th-century log schoolhouse, sod house, log cabin, 1910 barn, pioneer church and the old

Golf in Kimball
Four Winds Golf Course is two miles east of town. The 18-hole green fee is good for as many holes you can play in a day.
(308) 235-4241.
For more information on Kimball, contact the Kimball/Banner County Chamber of Commerce on (308) 235-3782 or visit kimballne.org

Enjoy the Water Near Kimball
Oliver Reservoir Recreation Area has a 270-acre lake for fishing and boating, and sandy beaches. (308) 254-2377.
For more information on Kimball, contact the Kimball/Banner County Chamber of Commerce on (308) 235-3782 or visit www.ci.kimball.

Special events throughout the year create unforgettable family memories at Western Nebraska’s only zoo. Birthday parties, live music concerts, after hours events and holiday celebrations have visitors, and the zoo’s big cats, roaring loudly with approval. (308) 630-6236.

Late December through the first weekend of March. Water discharged from the Kingsley Hydroplant creates open water on Lake Ogallala, attracting bald eagles. View from the heated facility below the dam. (800) 658-4390.